Chapter Text
Soukoku, also widely known as Double Black or Twin Dark, was without a doubt one of the best-working duos known to the Port Mafia. The two members, Osamu Dazai and Chuuya Nakahara, were visibly so incredibly different from one another, and the only thing that ever connected them both was thanks to that one order from Mori-san. Since then, they couldn't break free of this title.
Today was yet another day with a mission featuring the Double Black. Yet again, the two were sent out to demolish an opposing organization that posed a threat to the Port Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency and save all the hostages they had at gunpoint. These hostages were both sides' ambassadors, secretaries, and trusted right-hand men. Mori and Fukuzawa, being the good leaders of said organizations, had decided to get Dazai and Chuuya together once again after seeing their previous success when recapturing Q and fending off two members of the Guild.
The target organization was a small one with the goal of experimenting on ability users to create super humans. The organization was known as Markov, and it had members that even involved the police. The location was pinned around an isolated area surrounded by trees, deep into the forest. This mission was an easy 20-minute adventure, those that they were used to...
..Or so they had thought.
Chuuya couldn't wrap his head around the end results of that night, with Dazai barely breathing in a hospital bed, surrounded by tubes and machines, in a two-week coma.
//////
It had all begun just like any other get-together, with both sides squabbling and making fun of each other. You know, the usual:
"If we were to actually fight, you'd finally get that sweet release of death you've been longing for." The bickering would start with Chuuya boasting about his strength.
"Nah, I'd definitely win," Dazai would reply, not even sparing a glance at the other.
"… Was that supposed to be a reference to some shitty manga?"
After making their way through the trees and dirt, the two finally spotted the building and made their way inside, taking down any guard that tried to jump them. Thanks to Chuuya for that, because Dazai didn't move his ass an inch when it came to the guards. Dazai was lazy, after all, and lacked enough strength to survive in the Port Mafia. The walk to the room where hostages were being held wasn't a long one except for a few strong guards that Chuuya beat with ease. The door was closed, yet a vent was so conveniently placed next to it. Dazai peeked through the vent and began planning out a combat system:
There were nine heavily armed guards who seemed to be wielding an ability. Between each guard sat the hostages with handcuffs and blindfolds. In the middle stood a particular cloaked man who had his face covered with his hood. Probably the mastermind, the brunet thought.
Getting his hands on his trustworthy pistol, the detective sufficiently shot three of them through the vent. This, of course, aroused panic among the rest, and some pointed their guns around to make out where the bullets were coming from. Taking advantage of the panic and confusion, Dazai turned towards Chuuya and signaled for him to attack from the back of the building. Chuuya just stared at the man, unfazed and unhappy.
"You can easily come up with something better than that, shithead!" He whispered, getting ready to activate the corruption. Even though there was no need for this particular plan, Dazai just wanted to annoy Chuuya by making him put up with it.
Dazai grinned and got ready for the impact.
In just a couple of minutes, the building was in shambles, with many of the guards unable to move. Chuuya had wrecked most of the room with what seemed to be a warm-up for Arahabaki… In the meantime, Dazai had helped by taking down some men with his gun, assisting the redhead behind the scenes.
The mission had been going well so far until the man in charge decided to finally step in. Upon seeing the bodies of his comrades, the mastermind used his talent, to summon a shield around him and the hostages, separating them from the dangerous duo. He pressed a knife against the secretary's neck, stopping Chuuya in his tracks.
"If you don't back up now, she's as good as dead." Unsure of what to do, Chuuya glanced at the mackerel. The brunet had raised his hands in the air with his gun on the floor.
The time had come.
As Dazai tried to distract the kidnapper, Chuuya was already taking his gloves off...
The next events were unclear in the redhead's mind, just bits and pieces of everything laid unevenly in a line, such as the roof being torn into pieces, many cries for help being cut off as they were crushed under the ceiling, the hostages safely making it out, and Dazai—…
...What happened… to Dazai?
As soon as he had nullified Chuuya's corruption, the last hit of the Arahabaki had crashed onto him, leaving him under the dust, debris, and concrete. At the nick of time, Chuuya was pushed out of the way before he could pass out... Thankfully, the redhead was able to make it out with a few bruises and, of course, the scars of his corruption. It took him about two days to be able to get back on his feet. The boss gave him a week to recover, which Chuuya thought his boss was underestimating his recovery...
At the end of the day, they had rescued all the hostages with their limbs intact– the mission was a success. There was no reason to feel down, right?
So, why did Chuuya have this heavy feeling in his chest so intense that it was making him want to throw up?
Oh, right. At the end of the day, Dazai was not here.
When the redhead learned about Dazai's condition from the agency, he had stumbled over his words. His (ex) partner... getting hurt? Pfft, yeah, right! Dazai couldn't get "hurt". He'd never gotten hurt!
... Well, that's not what the doctors said. Fractured ribs and internal bleeding in several organs with a broken arm and leg were not what Chuuya deemed plausible. After all those suicide missions, the shithead now decided to get injured? It must have been a twisted plan of his, for sure...
Chuuya wanted to believe that. Now, to make up for the whole operation, Chuuya sat beside his partner, hands supporting his chin clenched together. The sight of his "enemy" hurt a lot more than he imagined. What went wrong? Usually, Dazai would be bragging on and on about how his plans never failed, but... this one did. And now, the consequences were almost unbearable.
///////
The deafening sound of screams, the nauseating smell of rotting flesh and death. Taste of blood on his tongue and in his throat, yet no sight to figure out what's going on...
Chuuya woke up with a loud gasp, eyes darting everywhere as the beeping of the heart monitor sped up dangerously. Being woken up with a throbbing pain in your head and stinging in your wounds wasn't a pleasant way to start your day. Especially not if you were hospitalized after a mission with an unknown end. The short man inhaled and exhaled rapidly, clenching his fist on the collar of his hospital gown. He felt hands all over him, heard muffled voices of a very concerned woman, then the white walls of the hospital.
Two women were attending to him; one asking him to calm down and readjusting his bed, whereas the other one prepared the needed dose of relaxants in case of an emergency. Unaware of what was happening, Chuuya soon felt his palpitating heart slowing down to a healthy degree, his senses came back to him fully... His shaking stopped and his white-knuckled hand (from how hard he was gripping the gown,) relaxed, a deep silence fell into the room. A regular beeping of a heart monitor, and deep breaths from the redhead were the only things able to be heard.
After a few moments, one of the nurses spoke:
"Nakahara-san, how are you?"
When Chuuya slowly turned his head towards where the voice came from, he was finally able to catch a sight of the nurse. She was a tall, brown and short-haired girl whose face screamed kindness. She was keeping a distance from him if there was a chance he could feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable. Chuuya winced with hazy eyes.
"What..." He began to speak only to be interrupted by a few hard coughs. His voice had gone raspy due to lack of use. After regaining his breath, he took a few breaths and continued, "Who...?"
He was responsive! The nurse's smile softened in delight as a response to that.
"I am Nuuso, your nurse. Do you remember what happened?"
Chuuya paused and leaned his head back with a sigh, closing his eyes to concentrate. What had happened? How did he end up here?
Noticing the struggle of the man, the nurse -- who was apparently named Nuuso -- stepped in.
"You were found in a forest surrounded by debris of what used to be a hideout. There were several dead bodies around you. Does that ring any bells?"
Debris, dead bodies, forest... That's right, there was a mission... He went to the building to save some people under the order of Ougai-san... There was someone else with him-
"...Dazai?" He asked meekly, blue orbs slowly opening in realization. The heart monitor beside the bed sped up, matching the man's pulse. No, this wouldn't do! Chuuya was still too weak to be worrying. The nurses wouldn't allow this, at least not for a couple of days. The woman in white gently placed a hand on Chuuya's arm, attempting to soothe him.
"Sir... you're not fully healed yet. Please, try to rest."
And Chuuya was but a slave to his exhaustion. He lost consciousness.
/////
That's how his couple days at the hospital had begun. Despite the difficulties he faced trying to stay awake during the first day or so, he felt all right after. The bruises and scars all over his body were healing along with his mental and emotional state, which finally got the chance to let loose. This could have been one of the worst and best moments of any mission containing Arahabaki. The first days would go awfully slow, with Chuuya barely being able to stay awake. However, as he recovered, it would feel like a hotel. Free meals three times a day, nurses checking up on him and attending to his needs — sometimes including boredom — and rest. A shitload of rest. By the time he left the hospital, he would feel incredibly refreshed and ready to fight God himself.
At times, he remembered even Dazai visiting him, usually to bug the shorter man about his condition, which would end up in being kicked or forced out by the doctors and nurses. Their last mission was definitely together, so... Why was Dazai nowhere to be found?
During lunch and dinner, a part of the brunet would remain in the back of his brain, nagging him like a mosquito.
When the door knocked, Chuuya expected the annoying suicidal bastard he was used to. Surprise washed over him when he saw a dark figure instead of a brown one. Akutagawa, the “dog” of the Port Mafia, had arrived. The dark man coughed in his fist upon entry, closed the door behind him, and moved over Chuuya's bed before sitting on a nearby chair. According to what he said, he was ordered to inform the executive about the former mafioso's condition.
Even after Chuuya was discharged, all he could think about was Dazai. Is he better now? What's he up to? Is he awake? Are they taking good care of him? His own thoughts betrayed his expectations.
/////
Chuuya went to visit Dazai every once in a while during every lunch break. These breaks weren't exactly common for him, so bandages over here has to feel grateful a billion times when he's awake, for sure! Chuuya wasn't a man of much ego, but sparing time off his busy schedule as an executive to visit an enemy was to be worshiped!
...He couldn't feel so confident about when his former partner would wake up, though. It seemed like each passing day would only get worse. The fact that he could do nothing but stay idly by his side, unable to help and hopeless, felt so suffocating. The man was dying right in front of him, and yet he couldn't do anything to prevent that from happening. Chuuya's despair drowned out his emotions and questions about why he was caring. All that his brain told him to do, "wait patiently," was the only thing he had.
"Hey," he entered the room and greeted the unconscious man as soon as the visiting hours started. As expected, quiet beeps and shallow breaths welcomed him once again. The short man sighed with a bittersweet grin and made his way towards his trusted chair, who seemed to be the only one who listened. Chuuya settled neatly on the chair and began examining the barely breathing body of Dazai, silently begging for any form of improvement. Yet all he got was the brunet's body losing its color and the little amount of weight that hardly kept him alive before.
On the counter where Dazai's daily medicines were laid was a neatly sealed letter, signed by none other than Atsushi Nakajima, the weretiger the Guild and Akutagawa were so obsessed with. Thinking back on it, the Agency hadn't visited Dazai, at least not while Chuuya was here. It had been around four days since Chuuya was fully able to get back on his feet, and not once had he seen any of the agency members being there. He cautiously eyed the letter and reached out for it.
"To: Osamu Dazai. From: Atsushi Nakajima."
The man gazed over the neat and childish handwriting of the weretiger before running a gloved hand over the paper.
"Dazai-san,
How are you? Are your injuries okay?
You probably know this, but I was the one who found you long with Chuuya-san. The hostages you two saved rushed into the agency to inform us about what happened. When I came by, I saw the two of you lying very far away from each other, with you being trapped under some rocks. I was able to help you out before the paramedics arrived and took both of you to the hospital.
I'm sorry for not finding the time to visit you. Things have been very hectic around the agency lately. I was tasked with writing the summary report of the mission on your behalf. Without you, everything feels so lifeless and dull, even with Ranpo-san around. There is grief in the air even while I'm writing this. Everyone misses you.
Kunikida-san seems to be worried the most. He tries to hide it, but the change in his behavior is noticeable. Even Tanizaki has noticed it. He's very stressed lately. I can tell he's worried.
Kyouka insisted on lending her crossword puzzles and Sudoku if you ever get bored or discouraged... and Kunikida-san gave you a lot of paperwork to finish when you're awake, and well... Please don't force yourself! Focus on getting better first!
We expect you to return to us soon. We miss you.
Signed, Atsushi Nakajima."
As promised, the letter came with two folded crossword puzzles with Sudoku at the back. There were small doodles of bunnies and white tigers on each one of them. That must have been that Kyouka the weretiger mentioned. Chuuya had heard of the girl and that she was under Akutagawa's wing, but never got the chance to meet her in person due to both of their busy schedules. Now that she was safe and probably happier, he felt a tug at his heartstrings as he put the papers away.
"You've got a lot of friends waiting for you, mackerel," he stated before turning towards the other again, his gaze falling on those cold hands. "You don't wanna keep them waiting, do ya?"
Chuuya softly dragged his fingers along Dazai's arm, slowing down around his wrist and stopping on his hand. Without giving it much thought, he held the other man's hand firmly, hoping that this would be at least a little encouragement for him. The redhead felt himself tear up at the state of his friend.
"Just... wake up, okay? Get your ass up for once in your goddamn life...!"
"...Please."